Seven Letters from Paris: A Memoir

Samantha Verant’s publisher calls her book a memoir. In fact, it’s a modern day fairy tale: too improbable to be true, too heartwarming to be real. Here’s the nutshell synopsis:Samantha is a 19-year-old college student who, with her best friend, takes off one summer for a whirlwind two-week adventure in Europe. At dinner on their last night in Paris, a pair of dashing Frenchmen saunter over to their table, treat them to a bottle of wine, capture their hearts, and escort them on a Paris-by-night—all night—grand tour. At day’s end, they race to the station, barely catch the train and take off for the French Riviera, Geneva, Florence, and Greece—Paris now a fond memory never to be forgotten.But Jean-Luc has been smitten. He writes to Samantha . . . seven times. She doesn’t answer. Summer adventure over. Life goes on.Twenty years later—20 years—Samantha’s marriage is crumbling. Her job peters out. She moves in with her parents, takes up dog-walking to earn a bit of cash.She digs out Jean-Luc’s 20-year-old letters. Searches him out on the Internet. Writes to apologize for not answering him. He writes back. Soon, letters are flying back and forth. Then phone calls, sometimes two or three a day. He invites her to France. She goes. And yep, that 20-year-old spark bursts into a bonfire. Eventually they marry. She moves to France.That, dear readers, is a fairy tale. But it’s also an improbable, lovely, heart-warming love story, and so well told.Read Seven Letters because it’s so impossibly true, but read it also to delight in a story told with humor, honesty, and not a bit of self-pity. The characters are charming. Like the story itself, you’ll never forget Jean-Luc or Samantha Verant.

I knew of Samantha from her blog. For a long time she was writing her memoir and then looking for a home for it. She finally found one! I had a vague idea of what her memoir about and knew I wanted to read it when she released the book. Well, I finally got around to it.I'm glad I did. This Valentine's Day we had a blizzard. What a perfect way to spend part of Saturday than to read about the romance. From her blog and the intro, I knew it was a happily-ever-after story. But it didn't prevent me from getting swept up in it, even worrying when Samantha faced obstacles. She wove her story very well. I rooted for her the whole time. Sometimes her man seemed too good to be true and their romance was almost unreal. But I was sucked in. I finished the book in three days.Even with all the moral support Samantha receives, she's the hero in her own story. At 19, she walks away from an attractive man over fear and a schedule to keep. 20 years later she regrets it. Samantha's facing the lowest time her life in love, financially, and professionally. She decides to face her fears one by one. The biggest leap she makes is to fly to France and see if she still had a connection with the man she met for 24 hours who wrote her 7 love letters afterwards. I loved seeing her passion and romance with the man and France through her eyes. Then she has to decide if a wonderful trip will translate to a day-to-day relationship enough to give up her old life. I enjoyed coming along on her physical and emotional journey.

This should have been titled, "Seven Letters from Paris: A Fairy Tale." I guess I am not very romantic, but if this is based on a true story, it is being retold through VERY rose colored glasses. Sam is the most beautiful and beguiling California girl God ever created. She meets Jean-Luc, the most handsome and perfect and romantic Frenchman, while traveling in France. They spend 24 hours together, after which Jean-Luc was besotted with this princess for life. She returns home and he pines for her. Never have seven such romantic letters been written! But Sam never answers a single one, although she kept them all. (I have to confess, I didn't find the letters romantic - they were so over the top they came off as creepy and stalker-y to me. I wouldn't have responded either.) Twenty years later, Sam's first marriage crumbles. She is approaching middle age; she is facing bankruptcy. She has no job or money or prospects and is living with her parents. She decides to contact Jean-Luc and he is of course DELIGHTED to have his princess back in his life and solve all her problems for her. He whisks her around France, taking her to beautiful, romantic castles; eating wonderful food; drinking wine, assuring her every moment how beautiful and perfect and special she is. He introduces her to his friends, family, and young children, all of whom of course immediately LOVE her because she is so beautiful and perfect and special. Sam and Jean-Luc have mind-blowing sex, because they have PASSION, without which Jean-Luc keeps assuring her, life is not worth living and which will never die between the two of them. They never fight or even have disagreements.I realize this review is cynical but honestly I have never met people like this. I guess if they exist and they are happy, more power to them. I sincerely hope that Jean-Luc and Sam were everything they seemed to be, and Sam never found human remains when digging in the perfect garden behind their perfect townhouse; or Jean-Luc never pushed her off a cliff to collect the insurance money during one of their romantic getaways in the south of France.

Well, wow. Samantha Verant is living in her own romantic movie. Who manages to reconnect with a past love, whom lives in a whole other continent, after twenty years and have it all work out? This is exactly what happened for the author of Seven Letters from Paris. She lived the freaking fairy tale. I’m not going to lie, this is the fairy story I have always wanted to have…except for the living twenty years apart…but all the other stuff, I am totally on board with.Strangely, I had recently read a very similar book (reviewed last week on LisaTalksAbout) by another writer. A memoir of someone in a loveless marriage who finds love – all with a Parisian connection, so I was a bit put out by that. Obviously, this is no one’s fault. It is just a freaky-deaky coincidence. I must admit that it did make me enjoy the book less. Not because Seven Letters from Paris isn’t good – it really is – but more from the fact that I felt I was reading another writer’s version of a story I had already read. Both books were memoirs. It couldn’t be helped.Seven Letters from Paris is a great story for the hopeless romantic, those who have been scorned by love but still believe in the magic of love. This is the kind of book that gives the loveless hope. It is enjoyable and who doesn’t love a happy ending?Give Seven Letters from Paris a read. It is well worth it.Seven Letters from Paris: A Memoir by Samantha Verant is available now.

A book that captured me from the start, not just for bringing forth my own memories of falling in love in Paris but because of the sheer romance of the tale. The letters themselves were stunning and it was amazing to read of such a profound love.Loved the style of writing. Thank you Sam x

Nice and very easy read...

Love it! ♡

What a journey! restores my faith in fairy tales......superb novel with an amazing story telling capability!